THAT IS ALL

THIS IS TRUE: while I am at sea, my twitter feed shall be in the able and ACTUAL hands of Mr Dick...

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 13:30:38 -0500

THIS IS TRUE: while I am at sea, my twitter feed shall be in the able and ACTUAL hands of Mr Dick Cavett.

Good morning, TUCSON

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 12:07:05 -0500

Good morning, TUCSON

HERE IS ANOTHER video by Adam Pranica: Coulton and John Roderick...

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 14:04:05 -0500

HERE IS ANOTHER video by Adam Pranica: Coulton and John Roderick singing together at Town Hall Seattle.

AS YOU KNOW, John Roderick and I are returning to Los Angeles to perform at Largo on March 2, 2012.

ALL DETAILS MAY BE FOUND HERE.

SOME HAVE ASKED, will this be the same show that you performed last November?

THE ANSWER IS LARGELY YES, with these important differences.

1) I HAVE REFINED AND, FRANKLY, BETTERED my performance of the material from the book, adding some new jokes, REMOVING SOME BAD ONES, and altogether making the night of MORTALITY COMEDY all the more amusing.

2) THERE MAY BE some new and interesting guests.

3) JOHN RODERICK will play completely different songs.

4) IT WILL BE THE SAME UKULELE

SO IF YOU ENJOYED MY SHOW in November, please tell your friends who were not able to buy tickets to come and enjoy it now.

AND IF YOU DECIDE TO COME BACK and see it again, I make this promise to you:

SEE ME AFTER THE SHOW, and if you provide me proof that you attended in November, I will whisper A NEW JOKE IN YOUR EAR.

This is, like all promises, a bona fide commitment.

THAT IS ALL.

ADAM PRANICA made this TOUR TRAILER based on my physical...

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 11:03:06 -0500

ADAM PRANICA made this TOUR TRAILER based on my physical manifestation at Seattle’s Town Hall last November.

As he notes, all details regarding future appearances may be found, always, at

http://bit.ly/hodgmania

THAT IS ALL

isawthat: Reblogged for Hodgman. I do not know how I missed...

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 06:13:49 -0500

isawthat:

Reblogged for Hodgman.

I do not know how I missed this.

I CAN NOW ANNOUNCE that: ON MARCH 3, not only will I be...

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:03:00 -0500

I CAN NOW ANNOUNCE that:

ON MARCH 3, not only will I be appearing at the RIALTO THEATER IN TUCSON, ARIZONA,

BUT I WILL ALSO BE JOINED by the very famous and talented MUSICIAN, LONG WINTER, FORMER ACTUAL HOBO, PODCASTER, GENIUS, and FRIEND named:

MR. JOHN RODERICK

WHAT IS MORE: Roderick and I have now scheduled a RETURN TO THE LARGO THEATER OF LOS ANGELES on March 2, about which I will offer you more details SOON.

TICKETS for Tucson are available HERE.

TICKETS for LA are available HERE.

PEOPLE OF THE WEST: we look forward to seeing you.

UPDATED: AND PLEASE NOTE that this beautiful video, and others like it HERE, are all by the very talented Adam Pranica.

That is all.

NEXT WEEK I WILL BE AT SEA, and it occurs to me that I may have...

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:22:24 -0500

NEXT WEEK I WILL BE AT SEA, and it occurs to me that I may have time to hear one or two cases in Judge John Hodgman’s Court of Maritime Law.

If you will be joining us on the JONATHAN COULTON CRUISE, and you have an actual dispute that you would like me to resolve on stage, as per the video above, please contact me by writing

hodgman (at) maximumfun (dot) org

I AM ALSO EAGER to hear your regular, LANDLUBBER DISPUTES and resolving them on the JUDGE JOHN HODGMAN podcast. You may email as per the above, so please write me if you seek JUSTICE.

THAT IS ALL.

I CAN NOW ANNOUNCE that David “@letsgetshort”...

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 09:02:05 -0500

I CAN NOW ANNOUNCE that David “@letsgetshort” Rees,who once created GET YOUR WAR ON but gave it all up to become an ARTISANAL PENCIL SHARPENER, will be joining me at my appearance at:

THE STATE THEATER OF STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA on March 16 of THIS YEAR.

TICKETS may be found HERE.

AS ALWAYS all tour details may be found HERE or by typing bit.ly/hodgmania into your internet browser.

That is all.

PHOTO COURTESY: This Gothamist article on pencil sharpening.

putthison: Keep It Simple, Stupid. I was watching The Odd...

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:09:07 -0500

putthison:

Keep It Simple, Stupid.

I was watching The Odd Couple the other night, and I was struck by a question: why does Walter Matthau look so good?

If you haven’t seen the film, see it. It’s hilarious. It’s a famous cultural archetype for a reason: because it is so great. You need to know a little background to catch what I’m pitching, though.

In the opening sequence, Jack Lemmon’s character, Felix, tries to commit suicide, and fails, only because he throws out his back trying to open the window he’d planned to throw himself through. He ends up at his friend Oscar’s house - that’s Matthau - mid-poker game, and the place is disgusting. There’s no A/C, and everyone’s a mess and the place is a mess and things are just a mess in general.

Felix is a compulsive neatnik. Oscar is a slob. That’s the Odd Couple part of the story.

So that’s why Felix looks sharp, if conservative. He’s the kind of guy who puts on a tie to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

But in that opening sequence, Matthau, as Oscar, looks fantastic. As a slob. And I wondered why.

There are two reasons. The first is that Walter Matthau wasn’t a movie star for nothing. He’s immensely charismatic, very handsome (though not traditionally so) and spectacularly charming. I can advise you to work on that in your spare time, but this is a style blog, so I’ll get to the next bit now.

His clothes are simple.

What’s he wearing? Canvas sneakers, high-waisted, military-style chinos, a heathered gray t-shirt, and a Mets hat.

Almost all neutral colors, almost no patterns. No “statement pieces” (other than the ballcap). No words. No pictures. It’s the t-shirt outfit, as appropriate in 1962 as in 2012, fifty years later. And the man looks tremendous.

(And thank God it’s not a Yankees hat. That’s just irredeemable.)

DC Pierson: Curiosity And A Feline Christ

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:06:37 -0500

DC Pierson: Curiosity And A Feline Christ:

dcpierson:

If it’s true curiosity killed the cat, then I suggest we revere that cat as a sort of Christ-figure who died so that we may experience the glory of curiosity in all its bookstore-hopscotching endless-Wikipedia-loop-inspiring glory. Thanks, cat. Because of you I can buy records by the people who…

paulftompkins: If you haven’t yet listened to my visit to The...

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:11:37 -0500

paulftompkins:

If you haven’t yet listened to my visit to The Todd Glass Show, here is a little bitlet from it. I am posting it because.

WEIRD, sadistic, suicidal, worm-eating valentines from the...

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 07:25:27 -0500

WEIRD, sadistic, suicidal, worm-eating valentines from the RETRONAUT:

http://www.retronaut.co/2012/02/vintage-valentine-wtf/

INTERNET USER CHALLENGE: create a valentine in old-timey style featuring a human centipede and/or the film AUDITION.

That is all.

comicbookcovers: Tales Of Suspense #49, January 1964, cover by...

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 06:58:19 -0500

comicbookcovers:

Tales Of Suspense #49, January 1964, cover by Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko

“By special arrangement with ‘X-Men’ magazine.”

merlin: beefranck: thesemicullen: Sausage gravy dispenser is...

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:15:06 -0500

merlin:

beefranck:

thesemicullen:

Sausage gravy dispenser is the height of culinary achievement.

Sometimes the world is so goddamn beautiful.

Please never show this to John Roderick.

Begging here.

Everyone: PLEASE DO show this to @johnroderick.

Maybe he will get on Tumblr.

That is all.

Neil Gaiman: Attention Melbourne Australia: The Amanda Palmer Valentine's Day Surprise Part 1

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 05:26:21 -0500

Neil Gaiman: Attention Melbourne Australia: The Amanda Palmer Valentine's Day Surprise Part 1:

neil-gaiman:

I mentioned to the remarkable Amanda Palmer (currently about to do some small practice gigs with her new band then record a new album in Melbourne, Australia) that I wished there was someone who’d magically show up and make me a cup of tea or who I could have dinner with. It’s the sort of thing…

A typically mad and passionate scheme from Mr Gaiman

brettgelman: You think you’re hard core huh? Via Brett Gelman,...

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 05:12:32 -0500

brettgelman:

You think you’re hard core huh?

Via Brett Gelman, who is AMONG THE BEST

This should have gone out yesterday. I APOLOGIZE ALREADY.

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 09:27:43 -0500

This should have gone out yesterday. I APOLOGIZE ALREADY.

Attention @letsgetshort: look at what one member of the Morris,...

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 23:27:20 -0500

Attention @letsgetshort: look at what one member of the Morris, MN audience brought me.

Minnesotans, If you can’t make it to Morris, MN tonight...

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 14:04:48 -0500

Minnesotans, If you can’t make it to Morris, MN tonight (and I know you can’t), you can see my Daily Show colleague @paulmecurio at the House of Comedy.

Ok, Internet friends. You were right. Pita Pit is pretty great....

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 13:40:51 -0500

Ok, Internet friends. You were right. Pita Pit is pretty great. But heed my warning—you do not need to order EXTRA felafel. I guess I’m just used to Massachusetts portions.